Winter weather couldn’t stop the Second Annual Valley Paddle Battle.
“I’m very pleased to still have our tournament. We have high competition from other states and people from the community,” said PVTRA president Matt Hamilton. “We would have loved to have more youth, but overall, we are pleased.”
The Pauls Valley Tennis & Racquet Association hosted the table tennis tournament Saturday at the Reynolds Recreation Center.
While the weather was travel friendly, several expected players from Texas didn’t attend because a sanctioned tournament in the Dallas area was rescheduled to the same day.
The Paddle Battle is not a sanctioned tournament, which is a draw for some participants.
Winfred Addy, originally from Ghana, competed in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Now living in Moore, Addy coaches more than he plays. However, the informal setup of the Paddle Battle allows him to both bring his players to compete, as well as compete himself.
“It’s a sport for everyone,” Addy said. “Once you start playing, you don’t want to stop.”
PVTRA strives to host an event each quarter, with table tennis in the winter because it is indoors.
“It’s awesome,” said Benjamin Clark of Pauls Valley. “Matt hosts a great tournament. We have a great facility. I had a lot of fun, and I’ll be back next year.”
The next event will be pickleball in Wacker Park.
“These events bring in a little money to our organization, and we support Panther tennis and get local equipment to donate to the Rec so people can check them out,” Hamilton said.
Other projects have included adding the shadow lines for pickleball at the Wacker Park tennis courts.
Paddle Battle Winners Open Division Men's Singles
1. Winfred Addy (Moore)
2. Theo Stephens (OKC)
3. Alexander Anuraga (Wichita, Kansas)
Women's Singles
1. Xiantong Li (OKC)
2. Menglin He (Norman)
3. Kathleen Fitgerald (Norman)
Men's Doubles
1. Dylan DelCol & Theo Stephens (OKC)
2. David Correa (OKC) & Alexander Anuraga (Wichita)
3. Yaoyao Niu (Norman) & Winfred Addy (Moore)
Women's Doubles (Open & Rec Division Combined)
1. Menglin He (Norman) & Xiantong Li (OKC)
2. Rachel Hamilton (PV) & Anna Hamilton (Norman)
3. Marley Rennie & Kate Taylor (PV)
Mixed Doubles
1. Menglin He (Norman) & Winfred Addy (Moore)
2. Kathleen Fitzgerald (Norman) & Alexander Anuraga (Wichita)
3. Xiantong Li & David Correa (OKC)
Youth Division Winner Yaoyao Niu (Norman)
Recreation/Senior Division Men's Singles
1. Dr. Nathan Schmidt (PV)
2. Nick Rennie (PV)
3. Ben Clark (PV)
Women's Singles
1. Anna Hamilton (Norman)
2. Rachel Hamilton (PV)
3. Susie Agee (PV)
Men's Doubles
1. Ben Clark & Matt Hamilton (PV)
2. Ryan & Nick Rennie (PV)
3. Domingo Hernandez & Dr. Nathan Schmidt (PV)
Mixed Doubles
1. Ryan & Marley Rennie (PV)
2. Bill & Linda Delaplain (PV)
3. Nick Rennie & Kate Taylor (PV)
